Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 have officially launched on the Switch and Switch 2! The team at Nintendo Australia has been kind enough to provide a review copy, but this will still be an honest review. 

This Super Mario Galaxy bundle on Switch is almost a perfect experience. They feel high quality and look amazing for today's standards, but there is just one problem…Let's discuss.

I was quite nervous about this release, because, if you've been living under a rock, there has been lots of drama concerning the price of this game. In Australia, this game will run you back $89.95 for the digital bundle, or $59.95 for the individual games digitally. Physical copies from Australian retailers will set you back about $79. I do believe that if you're considering picking these games up, physical copies are definitely the way to go. I managed to find one Aussie retailer selling it on Day 1 for $69, which is a great deal. But this is the only place I've actually managed to find it at a bargain.

Let's address it; the price is insane, I agree. Mario Galaxy is 18-years-old at this point! But putting that aside, how do these games translate to the Switch and Switch 2? For reference, I've only ever played the first game on the Wii, so I was super excited to try Mario Galaxy 2. I do need to preface this article with the fact that these games are definitely remasters; they have a premium look and quality to them. Gamers will buy re-releases of The Last of Us or Skyrim for high prices (to be fair, these re-releases have been meme'd to hell and back for how absurd they are) so while I do think the pricing argument here is valid, I also think this has opened up some interesting conversations to be had. 

All in all, the pricing for the individual games is a pretty high ask, but getting the collection physically seems like a decent deal in my opinion, as people have put some good work into these games on Switch.

This is interesting because Mario Galaxy has already been released as part of the 3D All-Stars collection on Switch, which was discontinued. I never played that collection, but as far as I'm aware, there weren't many huge visual upgrades in that original release; it was more just wide-screen support for the game. In terms of the re-release on Switch, you can expect the same Joy-Con control scheme for both games.

Now, obviously, these games are classics, with many people calling them the best Mario games to date. I can definitely see this sentiment. These games offer some of the best platforming in gaming history, with hundreds of hours of fun to be had. However, in this review, I'll be mainly looking at the games as a re-release. By this point, most of us know these games are good, but are they worth the upgrade? 

Straight away in the first game (and second game), I noticed an assist mode which helps give extra lives and bounce you back from falls, amongst other things. This is a nice feature, especially if smaller children are jumping into these classic games.

There's also an included music player on the main screens here, where you can play through the original game soundtracks. It's quite nice, because these soundtracks are wonderful to listen to. There's also autosave included now too! We do get a new chapter and storybook content, which is appreciated, and an entirely new storybook tale from Rosalina is added to Super Mario Galaxy 2.

In terms of performance, if you're playing on Switch 2 and have a 4K TV, this game will hit 4K resolution while docked at 60 frames per second (fps), so it does feel nice and smooth. In handheld, it does run at 1080p, but the screen is smaller and still looks great. Character models look nice and crisp when compared to the Wii's 480p. Textures look like they've had some new coats of paint to them, but I feel like that would be a given since we are literally jumping from 480p to 4K. On the Switch and Switch Lite, the games run at 1080p resolution and 60 fps. However, I am a firm believer that Mario Galaxy did look beautiful for its time and still holds up on the Wii.

Regarding the controls, the best way to play is still on a TV. If you want to use your Joy-Cons like a Wii Remote and Nunchuck, you can still do so! To perform a spin attack, you flick your wrists or press Y if you would rather not use gyro movements.

The right Joy-Con can be used as the star-pointer when pointed at the screen to gather starbits and interact with other objects in the game’s world.

Playing in handheld mode is also a great time. The touch screen works as the pointer here, but if you don’t want to put your hands all over your screen, you can also use the built-in gyro controls, which, to me, felt a bit more natural. The R button allows the pointer to recenter for convenience if it feels like it is drifting off. Maybe it’s because there's no Wii sensor bar, but I did feel it did drift away slightly more than usual. If you don’t want to wave your Switch around, you can still use the Joy-Cons in handheld mode as you would when the console is docked.

Also, don’t worry, the Switch Pro Controller can be used to play these games. The thumbsticks are used to move Mario, while the gyro in the controller is used for the star-pointer. Personally, this didn’t feel as natural as using the Joy-Cons, so in my humble opinion, stick with the Joy-Cons…but each to their own; it really comes down to you as a gaming individual. 

All in all, the controls feel streamlined and easy to use, with no notable concerns.

Overall, these games definitely hold up. With streamlined Switch controls and nice, crispy visuals, these games have been brought to the modern era of gamers to experience. Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 on the Switch family of consoles is almost a perfect experience. One that has stung many fans with its high pricing, which I tend to agree with. However, I can also see the appeal of having it on modern systems. Not everyone has kept their Wiis, not everyone has played these games. Maybe you might just be a Mario Galaxy mega-fan and want to grab these day one. Or maybe these games will be an entirely new experience for you. Whichever option you go for, or if you decide to skip them altogether, these games do feel like they have a certain Nintendo quality to them, which feels premium.